I am lucky, and have never been told “that’s not how we do things around here”. It might be a function of having been an independent practitioner for some years, or because I’ve not been in organisations where this is an issue…. but I doubt it.
Seth Godin’s recent post on the subject is pithy, and I agree with the central point that this type of statement is likely to kill innovation (amongst many other things). What he does not do is offer any suggestion as to how this pattern of behaviour has come into being, or what you can do to change it. So here are two possible approaches to the latter, one pitched at the organisational level, and the other for the imaginary colleague, new hire, student or freelancer that Godin invokes.
What it tells you may not be what it tells you…
The thing about a statement like “that’s not the way we do around here”, is that it invites the listener to come to one of a number of possible conclusions e.g.:
- “Why did no-one tell me?”
- “”I am being told off.”
- “I am not part of the in-crowd.”
- “If I challenge this, it will cause conflict.”
- This is an organisation that does not like change/innovation/creativity etc.”
- “Ooops have I put my foot in it?”
- “I appear to be working with Luddites/idiots/Muppets (delete as applicable).”
Add to that the emotional response this is likely to evoke, and that is a potentially heady mix. The conditions are ripe for both parties to entrench and/or move away from each other. What if you did the opposite?
I take the view that what is being offered is data. The question is, what is the data telling me, and how can I engage with it? The truth is that, much as Seth and you or I may not like it, the “way things are done around here” may work perfectly well for the organisation, or at least some people within it. For if everyone follows the same short list of simple rules, then the group behaves in a coherent way as a whole, even if that pattern is not the one you want!
Equally, it is arrogant and naive to assume that we know better, or indeed that offered the opportunity those apparently most attached to these ways of working would in fact not welcome a change. So what to do? One approach is to inquire with the people/person invlved as to what the ‘Simple Rules’ are that they are working to. Ever seen a flock of starlings, or shoal of fish? They follow simple rules:
Human systems do as well, and the trick is to make visible what these rules are, and then engage with the people involved to re-write if necessary. The Simple Rules tool, which comes from Human Systems Dynamics, is a good starting point for an organisational level intervention.
If the answer is “that’s not the way we do things around here”, what is your response?….
Here are a few possible ways of engaging with the statement in question, some more confronting than others. Mix and match as you see fit. The key is you inquire with genuine curiosity, and a willingness to engage and learn. If you believe you are right before you ask any question in return, then how different are you?
- “Great, how do you do things around here?”
- “How often do you review that?”
- “I am curious as to why you feel the need to tell me that….”
- “Brilliant, and who do I talk to if I can see a way of helping us do things even better?
- “How did you come up with that way of doing things?”
- “And how well is that working for you/the team/the department/the company/our clients?”
- “Who is responsible for deciding how things are done round here?”
What would you add to the list?….
